Light connector



April 5, 1955 c GRECQ 2,705,783

LIGHT CONNECTOR Filed June 15, 1952 38 MU/ W/X/A' Frank 6: Greco IN VEN TOR.

BY 94mm Mam United States Patent LIGHT CONNECTOR Frank C. Green, Lorain, Ohio Application June 13, 1952, Serial No. 293,392

Claims. (Cl. 339--99) This invention relates to a circuit connector and particularly to a device for applying a plurality of lights on a Christmas tree.

In the art of applying decorative lights to Christmas trees or other devices where many lights are required, it is customary to bring a busline into the locality of the lights and to connect a plurality of cross circuits or branch circuits to the busline to provide the necessary plurality of outlets.

The present invention provides a connector for attaching a plurality of individual lights or branch lines to a bus as may be desired. The construction according to the present invention comprises a base having a plurality, preferably a pair, of longitudinally extending conductors in the base and transverse grooves in the base and each of the conductors having a prong or point extending into the groove so that they can be pressed into contact with an insulated wire extending through the groove. In practice, the points are so arranged that an insulating pair can be placed in the groove and the points will make contact with the opposite sides of the pair so that the branches may extend on opposite sides of the body and have lights connected thereto in any suitable way preferably by having a plurality of sockets connected in parallel across the branches.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved circuit connector.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a connector having a large number of connections thereto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a connector which can be utilized as an outlet or female plug for the connection of an extension cord.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is an exploded perspective of the connector according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the connector showing the manner of connecting the points into the insulated conductors of the branch lines; and,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a conductor element of the connection according to the invention.

In the exemplary embodiment according to the invention the connector includes a base constructed of a body of insulating material having longitudinal slots 12 and 14 therein. Conductor strips 16 and 18 are disposed in the slots 12 and 14 and are preferably quite snugly fitted therein. The ends of the strips 16 and 18 are angled as at 20 and 22 and the body 10 is provided with angle slots 24 and 26 to receive the angled ends of the strips 16 and 18. The strips may also be provided with anchor slots 28 to further anchor the slots in the body 10. The slots are also provided with transverse openings 30 adjacent the angled ends thereof for connection of the conductors of a bus. The body 10 is provided with a recess 32 which communicates with the ends of the strips 16 and 18 and has an opening 34 therein so that the ends of a pair of conductors of the bus may extend into the recess and have the ends joined to the openings 30 in the strips 16 and 18. Apertures 36 and 38 are provided in the end of the body 10 and extend inwardly and communicate with the conductor strips 16 and 18 so that the male plug of an extension cord may be extended into the apertures 36 and 38 and make contact with the strips 16 and 18 so that a plurality of the connectors may readily be con- 2,705,783 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 nected in series relation or an outlet or extension cord of any kind may be extended into the connector.

A plurality of transverse grooves 40 are provided in the body 10 and the conductors 16 and 18 are provided with similar grooves 42. Grooves 42 being slightly larger than the grooves 40 so that the metal of the strips 16 and -18 is in nowise exposed in the transverse grooves 40.

Each of the metal strips 16 and 18 is provided with points 44 which extend upwardly into the grooves 42 and are of sufiicient length that they extend upwardly an appreciable distance into the grooves 40 in the body 10. The points 44 of the strip 16 and the points 46 of the strip 18 are arranged so that they fall on opposite sides of the groove 48 so that a conductor pair 48 extending through the groove 40 will have one of the conductors such as 50 contacted by the point 46 while the other conductor 52 will be contacted by the point 44 so that the conductors 50 and 52 will be connected respectively to the conductors 18 and 16.

A cap or cover member 54 fits on the body 10 and the grooves 40 are of such dimensions that the cap 54 presses the twin conductors 48 down onto and into contact with the points 44 and 46.

The cap or cover 54 will be attached to the body 10 by any suitable means such as the screw fasteners 56 which extend through apertures 58 of the cap and aperture 60 of the base 10. The screw members 56 may be either threaded into the aperture 60 or they may extend through the body 10 and be attached thereto by means of suitable nuts or other fasteners.

Matching apertures 62 may be placed at any desired part of the body 10 and the cap 54 preferably at a point remote from the conductors 16 and 18 and from the grooves 40 so that cords or other fasteners may be extended therethrough for tying or otherwise mounting the connectors adjacent to the base such as a tree where the lights are to be used.

In the utilization of the connector according to the invention, a pair of conductors will be connected to the strips 16 and 18 and if desired a plurality of such conductors may be connected together by inserting the male plugs of an extension into the apertures 36 and 38. Any desired number of grooves 40 can be placed in the connectors and the conductor pairs 48 will extend therethrough and be pressed into intimate conducting relation therewith by means of the cap 54. The branch conductors extending in either direction from the connector may have any suitable devices applied therein such as decorating lights. Obviously, the decorating devices may be connected either in series or in parallel as may be desired. Should any of the branch conductors become injured or otherwise unsafe to use, they may be readily replaced with fresh conductors so that the system is maintained in safe condition for use under all conditions.

For purposes of exemplification a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown, and described according to the best present understanding thereof. Many changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A circuit connector comprising a base of insulating material, said base having a pair of longitudinally extending parallel slots therein, a plurality of transverse grooves intersecting said slots, a conductor strip in each of said slots, means anchoring said strips in fixed relation in said slots, a conducting point on each of said strips in each of said transverse grooves, said points extending into said groove, means for compressing a conductor pair into each of said grooves.

2. A circuit connector comprising an insulating body, a plurality of longitudinally extending slots in said body, said slots communicating with one face of said body, a plurality of transverse grooves in said face, each of said grooves intersecting each of said slots, a recess in said body communicating with said slots, a conducting strip in each of said slots, each of said conducting strips including a conducting point extending into each of said transverse grooves, the points on the respective strips being arranged on opposite sides of said groove.

3. A circuit connector comprising an insulating body,

a plurality of longitudinally extending slots in said body and communicating with one face thereof, a transverse groove in said face and intersecting said slots, a recess in said body communicating with said slots, a conducting strip in each of said slots, each of said conducting strips including a conducting point extending into said transverse groove, said points being arranged on opposite sides of said groove, a cover adapted to press a conductor pair onto said points.

4. A circuit connector comprising an insulating body, a plurality of longitudinally extending slots in said body and communicating with one face thereof, a transverse groove in said face and intersecting said slots, a recess in said body communicating with said slots, a conducting strip in each of said slots, each of said conducting strips including a conducting point extending into said transverse groove, said points being arranged on opposite sides of said groove, a cover adapted to press a conductor pair onto said points, said body having apertures communicating with said strips whereby an extension plug may be connected to said strips. 5. An electrical connector comprising a base of insulatmg material, said base having a pair of longitudlnally extending parallel slots therein said slots being open to one face of said base, said base having a plurality of transverse grooves in said face, said groovesintersecting said slots, a conducting stripi'mounted in edgewise relation in each of said slots, a recess in said base, said recess communicating with said slots and with a surface of said base other than said face, a conducting strip anchored in edgewise relation in each of said slots, said strips being cut-away providing grooves coinciding with the transverse groove in said body, a conducting point on each of said strips, said points extending into said grooves, the points on the respective strips being arranged on opposite sides of each of said transverse grooves, a cover adapted to be applied on said face of said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,613,959 Propp Jan. 11, 1927 1,882,791 Ferris Oct. 18, 1932 2,110,513 Toelke Mar. 8, 1938 2,229,403 Benander Jan. 21, 1941 

